Senior Network Engineer (Network Services)

Job Description

Job Description

About CENIC:

Join the team that connects California to the world — advancing education and research statewide by providing the world-class computing network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. Our organization operates the California Research and Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity computer network with more than 8,000 miles of optical fiber. The network serves over 20 million users across California, including the vast majority of K-20 students, together with educators, researchers, and individuals at other vital public-serving institutions.

**We are looking for Network Engineers at various levels: mid-career > senior > technical expert > and leadership roles! Please see our career center for other positions available.**

POSITION SUMMARY:  

The Senior Network Engineer plays a strategic leadership role in designing, implementing, and evolving CENIC’s multiple networks, including CalREN, Pacific Wave, and the Western Regional Network under the guidance of the Principal Engineer, Network. This position supports the organization through high-level technical expertise, problem-solving, long-term planning, and mentorship. The Senior Network Engineer works across teams and with external partners to ensure the ongoing reliability, performance, and scalability of CENIC’s backbone and member-facing infrastructure.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:  None

LOCATION: Hybrid

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: 

Network Planning and Design

• Under the guidance of the Principal Engineer, Network, lead the design and evolution of optical and Layer 2/3 backbone and access networks to support growing bandwidth, service, and resilience needs

• Create, publish, and maintain comprehensive written strategic and tactical goals and project plans for CENIC networks

• Set engineering direction through the authorship and enforcement of architectural standards, design templates, and configuration policies

• Conduct traffic and capacity analysis to inform long-term infrastructure decisions

• Keep up-to-date with emerging trends and technologies in the networking industry and the larger research & education community

• Occasional travel to conferences to advocate for and connect with the community

Technical Leadership

• Serve as a technical authority and architectural decision-maker for CENIC’s backbone and member-serving networks and services

• Translate organizational strategy into technical roadmaps that align with long-term infrastructure and service goals

• Represent CENIC in high-level external engagements, technical alliances, and initiatives within the wider research & education community 

• Proactively identify systemic challenges or risks and drive coordinated solutions across departments

• Partner with the NOC, Security, and Program Management teams on design, deployment, and troubleshooting efforts

Mentorship and Internal Support

• Serve as a technical resource and mentor for engineers across the team

• Assist with technical reviews, training, and knowledge sharing

Automation and Tooling

• Identify and implement opportunities for automation of provisioning, monitoring, and configuration workflows

• Contribute to the selection and improvement of network visibility and performance tools

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:  

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related discipline with 10+ years of experience, or a combination of education and experience.

• Mastery of IP (BGP, OSPF, IS-IS), MPLS (Segment Routing), VPN services (L2VPN, IPVPN), and traffic engineering concepts

• Familiarity with the configuration, operation, and evaluation of major vendors, such as Cisco, Juniper, Arista, and Nokia

• Demonstrated ability to guide others: mentor engineers, lead peer reviews, and drive adoption of best practices

• Strong communication skills for engaging collaborators, senior leadership, and external stakeholders

Preferred SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience with DWDM networks, such as Cisco NCS2006 and/or NCS1010 platforms

• Understanding of network automation concepts for configuration, monitoring, and testing, and familiarity with tools such as Python, NSO, and Netbox

• Experience designing and implementing IP peering connectivity with other cloud, content, and service providers